Q A_Part_4_.doc

Is a certified record of the hearing the actual recording or a transcript of the recording?

A "Certified record of hearing" as stated in the background section 1.2 of the SOW refers to what is required by the United States District Court if the claimant files there at a later time. That record requires a transcript. However, the transcript is created by other means at that time. What is required at court filing is the audio recording at the hearings level, which is what is being asked of by the contractor in this solicitation. We have a process already in place to create a transcript from the recorded audio.

What is the record retention policy for recorded hearings?

We have a separate process to handle record retention. This is why we ask that the recording files be packaged together in section 2.1 of the SOW so that our processes can take over where the recording is finally stored.

What are the specifications for the agency owned computers running Windows 7

We already have computers that run Windows 7. We do not require any support of them within this solicitation.

What version of Windows 7?

We are currently running Windows 7 Enterprise Service Pack 1.

Is SSA willing and able to notify a contractor of proposed upgrades in Windows software?

Yes, SSA is willing to notify planned future upgrades.

Is SSA willing and able to provide access to a contractor to a proposed upgraded agency owned computer for testing purposes?

Yes, SSA is willing to provide access to an upgraded agency owned computer for testing purposes.

Could SSA please define the term ‘pause’ as used in the SOW. Is this a business process term referring to a stopped recording within a hearing as opposed to the final stopping of recording at the end of a hearing? Digital records are either recording or stopped unlike analog tape players which can have a stage where the tape drive is active but being held in place during a temporary cessation of recording.

This is a term SSA uses to signify that recording has stopped, but the end of the hearing has not been reached yet. Essentially to be used to go "off the record".

What are the manufacturers and models of the VOIP and PBX phone sets?

VoIP: Nortel 1140E

Analog: AT&T Model 146, Model 958, or something similar (offices can have different versions of a basic analog phone)

Does software customization as described in section 2.5 of the SOW mean customization done during the installation or does this also refer to customization processes requested after acceptance of the recording system?

This refers to customization after acceptance. Requirements for the base system are described in the SOW. Customization will be based on the user experience of the software product chosen.

Could SSA clarify “certain operations of the contractor provided solution” in section 2.6 of the SOW?

Without knowing the software product we will chose, we cannot specify exactly what we would like to limit to administrative functionality. Basically, it is actions that should only be performed by an administrator, and not a standard operator.

Could SSA clarify “administrative work” in section 2.6 of the SOW?

See answer to previous question.

Is SSA requesting source code for fundamental intellectual property of the recording software developer or for the customization of the recording software based on the needs of the agency?

The customization of the recording software. However, if providing source code can assist SSA in adding customizations ourselves, SSA is willing to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).